NJ Woman Wants to Feed 30,000... Using Extreme Couponing

Extreme couponing is great for TV shows/hoarders, but it turns out it can be used for the greater good, too. Just ask New Jersey resident Lauren Puryear, who's using her particular set of couponing skills to help those in need.

The 29-year-old native of Woodbridge, NJ -- by day, a mental health clinician -- spends the bulk of her free time helping feed those in need through her For the Love of Others charity, which helps feed the food-insecure in the Jersey, Baltimore, and Washington, DC areas. While she relied on buying food in bulk from stores like Costco in the past, extreme couponing methods have helped change her organization -- and made her adopt a goal of feeding 30,000 hungry people by the time she hits 30.

"I started couponing for food items like spaghetti, meatballs, and I was (often) able to get the items for free or for little to no money," she told NJ.com. As she has been employing these methods in the past few months, she's been able to feed more than 5,000 people. She's confident that with her new, much more efficient rate, she'll hit her goal in less than one year.

According to her estimates, she can feed "... as many as 150 people on just $20," using couponing methods

"The little things we take for granted, the food we throw away every day ... if we just spread a little more love around, the world would be such a better place," she told NJ.com.

Sure, it requires a little extra hard work. But most worthwhile things do. Except for grilled cheese sandwiches. Those are quick and delicious. At any rate, kudos to Puryear for turning coupons into charity.